Amide hydrolysis: acetamide under acidic conditions yields which products?

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Multiple Choice

Amide hydrolysis: acetamide under acidic conditions yields which products?

Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of an amide turns the amide into a carboxylic acid and a protonated amine. In strong acid, the amide nitrogen ends up as ammonium, NH4+. For acetamide, the process gives acetic acid (CH3COOH) and ammonium ion (NH4+). So the expected products are acetic acid and ammonium ion, matching the correct choice. Why not ammonia? In acidic solution, any produced ammonia would be protonated to NH4+, so the observable product is ammonium ion, not neutral ammonia. Why not sodium acetate? That would require a basic environment to form the salt and a source of sodium; acid hydrolysis does not generate sodium salts. Why not acetic anhydride and water? That would describe formation of an anhydride, not hydrolysis of an amide.

Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of an amide turns the amide into a carboxylic acid and a protonated amine. In strong acid, the amide nitrogen ends up as ammonium, NH4+. For acetamide, the process gives acetic acid (CH3COOH) and ammonium ion (NH4+). So the expected products are acetic acid and ammonium ion, matching the correct choice.

Why not ammonia? In acidic solution, any produced ammonia would be protonated to NH4+, so the observable product is ammonium ion, not neutral ammonia. Why not sodium acetate? That would require a basic environment to form the salt and a source of sodium; acid hydrolysis does not generate sodium salts. Why not acetic anhydride and water? That would describe formation of an anhydride, not hydrolysis of an amide.

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